Locations

Long Island, NY

There are several good photographic locations on Long Island. These include:

The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge: This is one of the best locations for photographing birds in the northeast. It is an area just outside of Kennedy International Airport and therefore, it is actually in New York City. Dozens of different species of birds pass through during their migration. In addition, many species make Jamaica Bay their home year round. In addition to birds, there are snapping turtles, eastern box turtles, tree frogs, butterflies and other types of natural subjects.

Connectquot State Park: This is large park in Oakdale, Long Island (about 50 miles out of NYC). There are a number of different birds as well as whitetail deer, raccoons, fox and other smaller animals. Many of the animals are shy, so it takes some work to get a good photo, but it can be worthwhile because the park provides a very natural background setting.

Hectsher State Park: This is a park located in the East Islip/Oakdale area of Long Island. It's only about five miles from Connectquot State Park. It has a lot of similar wildlife. However, the whitetail are much more comfortable in your presence.

Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Preserve: This is located in the South Hampton/Sag Harbor area (about 100 miles out of NYC). Certain birds are very comfortable around humans. In fact, chickadees are often seen eating out of the hands of children. There is also a pond that can provide a natural setting for waterfowl. You may also see muskrats, chipmunks, raccoons and deer.

Blydenburg Park: This is county park in the Hauppauge/Smithtown area. Some birds and smaller animals are good subjects. There are also eastern box turtles and snapping turtles.

Hoyt Farm: This is a small town park in Smithtown. There is a good variety of birds, turtles, tree frogs and insects.

Upstate New York

Adirondack State Park, upstate NY: This is the largest park in NY State, located north west of Albany. It can be incredibly pretty in the fall. There are some great photo landscape opportunities in the Old Forge/Big Moose area, as well as the Keene Valley and Lake Placid area.

Alaska

Alaska is just too big to summarize. There is something to photograph almost everywhere you look. I hope the following is helpful.

Katmai National Park: This is a park on the Alaska Peninsula. Brooks Falls is located in Katmai. In July, brown bears gather at the falls to try to catch salmon during the summer run. In the fall, the bears return and wade along the shore of the river looking for the last salmon meals they can get before winter. In addition, the Valley of the Ten Thousand Smokes is located in Katmai. This valley has some wonderful landscape possibilities.

McNeil River: This is the best place in the world to view and photograph brown bears. It is also located on the Alaska Peninsula, about 100 miles from Katmai. Access is by a permit/lottery system. See Mark Hardgrave's website on McNeil River for complete information regarding McNeil River and the photographic experience there. This site is highly recommended.

Denali National Park: Denali is a beautiful park. However, traveling around Denali can be hard for someone with a lot of photo gear because you are limited to traveling on shuttle buses. Denali has awesome landscapes (weather permitting), and a wide variety of wildlife. The wildlife includes: brown bears, black bears, moose, caribou, fox, wolves, ptarmigan, dall sheep, beaver, pica, artic squirrels and many other animals. The wildlife is unpredictable. At some times, it can be well out of photographic range. At other times, it can be so close you can't get the full animal in the frame. Just be prepared.

Wyoming/Montana

Wyoming is one of the best places to photograph animals. The Yellowstone/Teton area provides some of the best access to North American wildlife. Some of the animals are relatively tame and will almost sit for portraits. Yellowstone is best for elk, bison and pronghorn antelope, as well as a variety of birds and smaller mammals. The overall photo opportunities for moose are better in the Teton area.

Both Yellowstone and the Teton area provide spectacular landscape opportunities. These places can be visited dozens of times and they will produce different images each time. The terrain in Yellowstone has incredible variety (geysers, mudpots, canyons, waterfalls, mountains, etc.). The Tetons can provide a fantastic mountain backdrop for a variety of subjects.